The Champion Of War
by ItachiRules16
Summary: When the gods themselves need aid, who do they turn to? When they can never agree on who to choose? Simple, take a normal person, give them the traits they will need. Then give them gear and a mission to strive for. This is where Christopher Carlisle, known by Zero to many, comes in. An average person who is chosen to restore what was lost. It will be a long, long war indeed.
1. Chapter 1

Chris's life was typical and predictable. He didn't do much that was out of the ordinary. His dark brown hair was cut short, almost military. He'd never done anything weird or crazy. He had green eyes and slightly sunken cheeks, weighed about 150 pounds and stood at five foot nine inches. The only strange thing about him, was his Saturdays. On Saturday, he'd grab some sodas, fire up his X-Box and enjoyed a day of playing his games. Usually he did this on his own, but occasionally his girlfriend would join him and just watch him.

But today was Sunday, and he was getting ready for his girlfriend to come over for a little dinner and a movie. Her name was Ciara. She was a small girl that had managed to weezle her way into his life after school one day a few years in the past. She had short, black hair and stood around four foot twelve. However, when she arrived and came in, the front half of the house exploded in a fireball that consume the house, cars, yard and, more importantly, the two twenty year olds. Later, after the fire was doused and the search finished, nobodies would be found. It was credited to the fact that the fires heat had been so great that the cars had melted to slag and were, for all intents, glued to the cement driveway. The thought that everyone agreed to was that the bodies themselves, being closer to both the explosion and the center of the fire, were destroyed or 'flash-burned' into the dirt and stone of the ground the house was built on.

However, the real reason surpassed anyone's understanding. The truth was far more fantastic, and at the same time, far more terrifying for those involved. Someone, or something, had decided that Chris was needed elsewhere. This being was the last of his kind, the last of an age that was nearly lost in his world. He was Ares, the god of war and the last of the gods still standing. He needed a warrior, not in body alone but also in mind. He'd learned long ago not to rely on brutes to do what was necessary. So now, with what remained of his power, he molded the boy's body into a warriors. Complete with the training and instincts he would need for battle. After all, who could possibly know what he would need better than a god whose only knowledge was of war, and how to fight in one. He imparted all his instincts, all his skill, into the boy's subconscious.

Once he was finished, and he had sent the girl ahead into the new world where the boy was needed, he conjured up the armor that he'd decided to gift the boy. While not the descendants of Hecrules like the true Spartans, the warriors who had inherited the title had more than earned the right to be called by that name. One, in particular, had truly earned his respect. Nothing had managed to stop him and his partner. Though now that she had been 'killed' he wondered how long the man would be able to continue to fight as he had. He had also saved her, thinking that his Champion would be able to make use of such a creation. She too was un-concious, a spell he'd learned from Zeus oddly enough, and slid her 'chip' , as it was called though Ares didn't understand why her 'home' was named after a human food, into the slot on the back of the boy's armor.

The armor itself was designed in almost the exact same fashion and make as the man's armor it was moddled after. The only difference in aesthetic was the color scheme, black with the symbol for the UNSC emblazoned on the back and red lining where the metal plates parted to connect with the nano-fibers that made up the suit underneath the armor. The colors granted him a look of fierceness and marked him as his Champion. Another difference, one that was not visible but rather technological, was that he'd 'reforged' the armor using Olympian metals. Hephaestus had used the last ounce of power he'd had to make this armor and Ares hoped it would prove worth their sacrifice. The armor was different in that it could be removed with only two people, counting the wearer, and as such was much easier to put on and remove.

Now, with all the preparations in place, he cursed himself. He'd forgotten one, single thing. The boy would be vulnerable to diseases, it was unfortunate because he knew that no one had the ability or knowledge to remedy that problem. Instead, he imparted the new knowledge to the 'A.I.' he had already gifted the boy. At last, he wave his hand over the boys face and, in a deep bass of a voice, spoke "Wake, boy. You've got a job to do."

The process was, while not instant, fast. The boy's head rolled away from the voice, scrunching his eyes against the disturbance, and then opened his eyes. The boy did not scream or start, as the god had anticipated, but rather stared at him. It lasted a moment before the boy tried to rise.

"Easy now, you need to take it slow. You have to adjust to your new form." Ares said, placing a hand on his shoulder to hold him steady,"Try to move your arms and legs, feel the new strength in them before you do anything else."

"Where is Ciara? I remember heat, and noise, but that's all." Chris said, following the man's instructions.

"She is un-harmed. I regret that she was taken as well, she wasn't meant to be. But rest assured, she is safe. Or as safe as she can be. I will soon take her from that world and take her to Olympus. The lesser gods, and myself of course, will care for her." He said calmly, already pulling her towards the great city," You, my boy, have the hard job."

"Just one second, who the frack _are_ you?" The boy said, standing on wobbling knees and peerin at the suit of armor with awe," And what _the frack_ is that?"

"I am Ares, god of war. I am the last of the great Olympians left, Hephaestus and Athena both went into the Slumber to find you, turn you into our Champion, and forge you and your armor into the great things we needed for the greatest of quests." Ares said quickly and grandly, though sad when he talked of the other two gods," Our power has been all but destroyed in our three realms. We need you to aid these realms in their wars. To bring….. stability."

"And if I refuse? I won't, but I'm curious." Chris answered, walking around and adjusting to the new power he could feel," Also, I'll need some training. And to know where I'm expected to go, though I don't expect that 'where' is a correct way to phrase it."

"You need to aid three empires, The Alliance first, The Imperium of Man and, last on the list, the UNSC. These three will give us the influence we need to bring Olympus back to its former glory," Ares said it calmly, coolly. He almost seemed perfectly okay to be betting his home, his allies and his own existance, on some nobody he'd grabbed from somewhere. "And should you refuse, Ill simply _let you both got to the afterlife._ It is, after all, where you would have to be."

"Fine, fine. I already said Id help you. Anything I should know? Before I go out and get shot, preferably." He said, smirking slightly, and strecthing his limbs out as far as they could go.

"Yes, though they are rather small things. First of all, as I am the god of war and not health or medicine, you will be very vulnerable to diseases. Youll need to get innoculated if you can and be careful of your armor's seals before then. Second, for now youll be on ypur own. Ive granted you a gift in instincts, your body and your skills. And, lastly, Ive brought a friend from the thied universe. I believe her name is Cortana." He said, smirking as his jaw dropped," Now get going, before I get bored and give you a tail or something."

"Got it. Wish me luck then." With that, he steped into the armor and, once again, lost conciousness. When he awoke, he'd have a veritable _shit ton _of work to do. He knew it'd be hard, that was a fact. What he didnt know, was how hard it would really be.

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So? Any good? Any ideas on which game he should be in?

Also, i havent abandoned my other stories. I jus want to let Walking Dead progress some more before I start. And since they both use it, I have to wait or look stupid if somtheing happens that doesnt quite fit.

Advice on pairings, for main character and crew members, is most welcome. Though I have a few sets already decided on, if something better comes up from you guys Ill do it.

Thanks for reading, bye.


	2. Skyfall

(A/N: The view-point of this story will swap to four different angles. Zero's P.O.V, Shepard's, Hackett's and Cortana's are a few, good examples. These swaps are to give a freer flow to the story-line during times when a main character cannot speak for themselves because of an incapacitation i.e. unconsciousness. I would like to also apologize for story delays, I will update with several chapters every two weeks due to a lack of access to a workable computer. I thank you for your patience, and ask your forgiveness for any further issues as well as placing the Burned Worlds series and When the Rose dies on a semi-permanent Hiatus. The Burned Worlds is under a re-write due to a computer being corrupted, destroying over twenty full chapters along with thirty for When the Rose Dies. As a result, I am currently very angry and frustrated with these two series and will be taking a break from them for a new one that I will be continuing to write, and update, until I am finished with book one. If people request it, I will continue with book two and, eventually, three. Thank you for your patience, on to the actual story.)

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_**Shepard's P.O.V.**_

"The Collectors were made for quick, clean attacks. Not commando strikes in retaliation." Garrus said, a burst from his Vindicator cutting down another drone "Makes our odds a lot better. Agreed?"

"Indeed. Collector physiology seems ill suited to heavy combat scenarios. Curious if any special species will show." Mordin noted, incinerating an explosive crate that a Collector duo was moving past. The explosion tore the two creatures apart in a mess of shrapnel, flailing limbs and charred weapons.

"Let's hope not. It would be nice to over-power our enemies for once, instead of being out matched." Shepard said, using her Carnifex to pick off an un-lucky drone that was leaning out of cover before Warping another and allowing Garrus to pick it off.

"Uhh, Commander? We got… something inbound from orbit." Joker said, even though his voice was layered in static it was, just barely, understandable." Looks like a guy in some weird armor, but that's all we could get before he fire balled towards you."

"Everyone hear that?" She asked, receiving quick nods from the surrounding team." Good. _If_ he survives and makes contact, do NOT fire unless fired on first."

"Survival unlikely. But will do as you say." Mordin said quickly, downing the last drone that poked its head out of cover to fire. "Targets eliminated. Suggest moving up"

"Got it, but I'd rather be safe than….." She trailed off as a small fire ball careened towards their position. It was on a direct collision course for them, and wasn't turning away." Everyone move!"

They dove in separate directions, each taking a separate route to avoid the inbound object. Just as she landed, she heard a roar as it passed overhead and then slammed into the ground with enough force to knock the group off their feet once more.

"Everyone, status?" She called, wobbling up and moving slowly towards the heat blasted area where the object had hit.

"I'm green, Commander. A little warm though." Garrus said calmly.

"Singed, but functional, Shepard." Mordin said, rising slowly and showing that the left half of his armor was singed black from the heat." Would suggest verifying status of the un-known, however. May have tech we could use. Or be alive, judging from your recent revival."

She was just about to agree, when a loud groan came from the crater. She took one look at her team, and moved towards the sound. Inside the cooling crater, a massive soldier was quickly rising in proportionally titanic armor. It gripped its head for a moment, as though disoriented from the hard landing, and sank to one knee before, fist pressing against the ground turning to look at her. Not her team, just her. She nearly shrank back under its level, unyielding gaze, but just managed to hold her ground and call out.

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"Who are you?" The woman, clearly Shepard, said with all the nerve I'd expected. Her companions, Garrus and Mordin, visibly straightened and stood more bravely in the face of her resolve.

He opened his mouth, but found speaking difficult. His throat was dry and sore, and would not respond to him very well so he settled for short, quick replies," Friend. Name, Zero. Here to help. Throat hurts."

"Well, Zero, we have a doctor with us. He'd be happy to give you a quick look over while we move. If, of course, you'd be okay to move with us."

"Agreeable. Will follow. Need gun. Or knife. Call me Zero," I said, climbing the hill. The trio in front of him backed away nervously when he reached them, towering at least a foot over the tallest which was, of course, Garrus. "Who doctor?" 'Best to stay in character, right?'

"Me. Please hold still. Will scan for damages to armor as well as injuries to extremities. Will only take a moment." Mordin said, firing up his Omnitool and scanning his chest and shoulders before motioning for me to kneel, which I did, and scanning his throat and head." Minor dehydration and overheating. No serious injuries or damage to armor. Easy to treat. Just needs water and rest. Curious."

"Why curious?" Zero said haltingly.

"You did just fall from space. By all rights, you should be dead. Not thirsty and hot. How did you pull that off?" Garrus said simply.

"I agree, it is strange." Shepard said as well, crossing her arms over her chest and resting her chin in her hands.

"Good armor. Strong metal. And lucky." I said, shrugging. "We move. Need gun still."

"Can borrow mine." Mordin said, offering his Kassa Locust," Prefer to use tech usually anyway."

Shepard nodded curtly," Stay with us. Keep your head down unless you see a good shot. Just do as you are ordered."

I nodded, and the group headed deeper into the colony, wary of the titan following them. They happened across a group of Collectors moving tanks towards a gravity lift of some sort, and Shepard ordered them into cover before they were spotted. She signed for Garrus to move through the old apartments on their right with Mordin while she pushed up the middle with Chris.

Once everyone was in place, she leaned out and warped the closest while Garrus put two more down with bursts from his Vindicator and a shot from Mordin's Carnifex. Chris, running on the pure warrior instinct gifted from Ares, fired three bursts from his Kassa while he moved up the ramp quickly. Each burst downed a Collector and, once he'd closed the distance, he slammed a duo against a wall with his shoulder and put another point blank burst into each of their chest as well as kicking the last visible Collector in the chest with a wet crunch that put it on the ground. It didn't get back up.

"The hell are you, half Krogan?" Shepard said, stunned at the brutal attack, and stunned even more that he had pulled it off without suffering a single ounce of damage to his shields. "That speed was unbelievable. You moved faster than I could see."

"Do my best. Strong. Fast. Good fighter." He said, looking around him at the pods. "What happened here?" He said, knowing the answer, but asking to solidify his case with Shepard.

"Collectors have been attacking whole colonies, taking the entire populations of each for some reason that we don't know. Whatever it is, can't be good. I am leading a mission to attack their homeworld, and stop them permanently." Shepard said it quickly and coolly, I smiled.

"May I join. I strong." I said, offering his left arm and hand. She smiled, and grabbed his wrist while he grabbed hers gently. She nodded, and then motioned for them to move on.

"**Well, that was easy." ** The sudden intrusion of the feminine voice nearly made me jump, but I managed to maintain his outward cool," **Sorry, forgot you wouldn't be used to this. Well, I think we should introduce ourselves. I am Cortana. Oh, and just think your answers. I'll hear them. I think it was that Ares guy who did that."**

'Very well, can you hear me.' I said, feeling silly at trying to 'think' to another person.

**"That's good. Yes, I can hear you, and don't feel silly. You'll get used to it." **She said calmly, with a humorous edge to it,**" Grab a couple of those alien weapons. We'll need some creds for our plans."**

'By 'our plans' I assume you mean 'your plans'. Am I correct?' I thought, checking my radar for any targets. She just laughed quietly and I followed her instruction, grabbing two SMGs and a kinetic barrier off the duo I had killed moments before while Shepard got her team together. Luckily the weapons collapsed to the size of my fists and slid into his thigh compartment, and I moved in behind Shepard.

She nodded, and they moved into the colony quickly. It was easy going, the Collectors completely unable to stop the team that was pushing through their lines. I would, on occasion, vanish to grab some more weapons I hadn't already found samples of. Soon, they ran into their first real problem. The scion.

They were now pinned down, unable to fire easily without receiving enough fire to damage even Zero's powerful shields. I would, occasionally lean out and put a burst of Locust fire into a drone. The firefight had started with twenty drones, six husks and a Scion. I had, with Shepard's biotics, Mordin's tech and Garrus accurate bursts, cut the number down to six collectors and the Scion. They seemed to be banking on the idea that the Scion had them pinned and would soon have the reinforcements needed to overwhelm the group of commandos. Zero would not allow that to happen.

"Need grenade. Have plan." I said, tapping on Shepard's shoulder.

"What are you thinking?" She asked, pulling a small ball from her thigh and handing it to him.

"Watch." He said, leaping over the barrier they'd been behind after their encounter with the engineer in the small bunker. I shot the Scion in both of it's knobby knees, making it kneel for a moment, and then leapt into the group of drones. Using bursts of fire, and brute force from my limbs, I quickly eliminated the drones before leaping towards the Scion. I latched onto the massive abomination and slammed a fist into the creature, along with the grenade. It responded quickly, slamming a grotesque arm into his chest and sending me flying into the ground. I rolled onto my hands and knees, stunned, and crawled away from the creature. It roared a protest and took aim with its cannon. Shepard cried my name, leaning out to fire on the Scion. It ignored the bullets, priming its cannon, and exploded with a blast like thunder. Shepard recoiled as I was thrown through the air and soared over them before slamming through the pods that had not been filled yet. I didn't move from my landing spot for a moment, stunned both by the blast and the landing, and Shepard moved to my side with her Omnitool ready to treat his wounds.

"Come on, I'm not leaving you behind." She said, searching for a port to inject the medi-gel and finding none. "Damn it. " She said, standing up as he turned to look at her and stood. "What the _**hell **_was that? Are you trying to die?" She barked at him, getting as much in his face as she could possibly do with her shorter stature. "While under my command, you will not throw your life away! We could have handled that thing without risking your life unnecessarily. Never again, am I understood."

"Damn…" Garrus muttered, checking his Vindicator's ammo count. I looked at the small-ish woman for a moment, head cocked to the side in shock, before nodding slowly. I felt, slightly, touched by her sentiment and took a spot beside her while Mordin, once again, scanned for any damage.

After he was done, and had nodded an affirmation that Zero was un-injured, we moved up to a locked gate and began trying to bypass both Collector and colonial security systems that had locked them out.

Cortana sighed, and instructed me to hold up his left arm. I did as she told me, and a holographic Omnitool popped up. I pretended to push buttons, per her instructions, occasionally looking at the door. Within moments, Cortana broke the codes and the door opened. Right after, several husks and two Scions began launching an assault on their positions. I confronted the husks head on, smahing them to the ground with my fists and kicking them across the courtyard. Soon, after Shepard used a missile from her launcher on each of the Scions, they hacked the guns and held off the attack without any incidents worthy of note.

The fight was, relatively, easy. Garrus settled into a spot and started picking off any Collector he saw while Shepard used her biotics to fling them aside or Warp them so that they tore apart and Zero tore through them, Harbinger included, like so much wet tissue paper.

The guns, finally, opened fire on the enemy ship and the assault ceased. After a comment from Mordin that, in my opinion, jinxed them. A Praetorian glided into the courtyard. It ignored the small arms fire directed at it and, despite resistance, moved towards Shepard with murder on its mind. I saw this, and charged towards Shepard's position while she dodged a swipe from the thing's massive claws. On the second swipe, with Shepard knocked to the ground and the beast going in for the kill, I lunged in the way, latching onto the scythe like claw with a grunt. I caught the swing just before it would have cut her in half. "Pull…. Back…." He muttered receiving a small nod from the young biotic as she ran for cover.

Screaming in rage and pain, I threw the claw aside. It roared in rage, and swiped me to the ground. I hit and, rolling, leapt towards it with bone shattering force. My lunge smashed into the beast's jaw, stunning it and shoving it back. I ducked under a second swipe and leapt away as it traced after me with it's dual lasers. Shepard fired on the beast, whittling away desperately at the Praetorian's shields. While the damage was negligible, it did distract the Praetorian long enough for me to close the distance between me and it. I lunged, forward and upward, crushing through the Praetorian's two front arms and turning it onto it's back. Now that it was on it's back and stunned, I leapt into the air as high as I could before crashing into the creature's chest. It screeched and evaporated.

"Holy…." Shepard muttered, lowering her Carnifex and cocking her head to the side. I looked up at her, my vision beginning to go black," I say we keep him." And with that I collapse.

Here


	3. Intoductionss

_**Shepard's P.O.V**_

"Look, I'm sorry I died Kaidan. But I'm here now, and I need your help." Shepard said, having sent Mordin to check on the downed Zero.

"Yeah, must have been real inconvenient for you." Garrus growled, moving away from the two arguing friends and towards the downed soldier. He ignored Kaidan's retort as he walked, coming up beside the aged Salarian doctor.

"Blocking my light, Vakarian. Moving would be advisable." Mordin said, as the ex-vigilante stepped quickly out of the way of the light.

"How is he, Mordin?" Shepard said, Kaidan close on her heels behind Garrus. Kaidan put a hand on her shoulder and she turned with anger clear on her face, right along the hurt she knew she was failing to hide. "Do you _**mind**_? One of my men is wounded, and I would like to know how he is doing."

"He is un-harmed. Just knocked out. Most likely by earlier fall. Should recover quickly." Mordin said, running his eyes across his scan of Zero's torso. "Have discovered something peculiar, however. He does not have genetic ear-marks of normal humans. Possesses none of the genetic immunity traits for basic diseases. Poses odd questions. Why does he have no vaccinations? Or natural immunities? Or….?"

"Wait, you're saying he has no immunities? How is that possible?" Garrus said, looking down at the man. "I thought you Humans had laws about having vaccinations to prevent this kind of issue?"

"Laws do exist, though usually un-enforced. Even without vaccines, this level of weakness is un-likely. Would guess that it is pre-existing. Much like the Quarians immunity disorder." Mordin railed off in his usual, exhausting, way of speaking.

"Well, we'll just have to be careful not to breach his armor. Though, judging from how he handles combat, a suit breach may be difficult to manage. Maybe he knew that the drones couldn't breach his armor, but then why would he attack the Praetorian the same way?" Shepard said, looking at the hairline scratch that had appeared on Zero's chest. It was as thin as her combat knife, but went from his left shoulder all the way down to the bottom of the chest piece.

"To protect." Zero said, head rolling as he regained consciousness. "Have to protect. Team. Friends."

"You barely know us," Garrus muttered," And yet you were willing to attack that thing head on like that."

"New team. New friends. Don't care how long I know. Must protect. No more new team."

_** Zero's P.O.V.**_

"What do you mean,' no more new team.'" Kaidan said, kneeling beside the young soldier to be.

"No talk. Make sad." He said, covering his slip up as best he could,' _Damn it! Why do I keep saying stupid things?!' _

_**'What did you mean?' **_Cortana asked him, sensing pain through the link_**,' We are partners. I need to know. Your pain is my pain. That is neither of our choice; Ares forced it on us both.'**_

_'I know, it just hurts. That's all. I was military in my world, and my entire platoon was wiped out in an ambush. I barely survived, and they declared I was unfit for service due to my traumas.' _I said, sending a rush of pain through both of them as the memories surged forward with enough force he thought it would crush them both.

_**'I understand, John lost all the Spartans he grew up with. He suffered with that too. I am here for you, like I was with him.' **_Cortana said, sending a wave of comfort from her end of the link. I sighed outwardly as the feelings warred, and eventually the comfort won out.

"Tell us, now!" Kaidan said," I won't have Shepard running around with someone who is a threat to-"

Something in me snapped, and I moved faster than anyone, including Kaidan, could follow. I grabbed the biotic's arm and neck, lifting him into the air and holding him there." I no threat. I protect. Shepard my friend. I no hurt. Ever."

"Zero, put him down." Shepard ordered, putting a hand on my high shoulder. I hesitated only a half a moment before I, gently, lowered Kaidan to the ground. I looked at Shepard for a moment before I walked over to a large, cement block and sat down.

"I'd better report this. The Alliance will want to hear it. "Kaidan said, walking back into the colony the way that Shepard had fought through.

Shepard sighed, watching her old friend walk through the large door at the rear of the courtyard. After a moment to gather her thoughts, she walked over to the soldier and sat beside him. Garrus sat on the other side and Mordin, after calling the shuttle, sat on a crate across from them.

I lifted my left gauntlet and typed at the blue Omnitool that appeared. After a moment, Cortana read out what I had typed using the comms attached to the Spartan helmet," Twenty seven."

"What?" Shepard asked before she could think about the comment.

I pretended to type some more words and Cortana repeated what I was telling her to say in his mind. "I lost twenty seven members of my platoon in an ambush. I was the only survivor. I can't tell you where I'm from yet, you would not believe it, but I can tell you that."

"Understandable." Shepard said, with a nod from Garrus," So, where did the chat program come from?"

"Found it in a terminal I was messing with while you guys tried to open the door. Only has a female voice option, but it's more than I've had for quite some time." I 'typed' the story out, making sure to take time to think through what Cortana would be saying and delaying long enough for the 'program' to process the words.

"That is certainly fortunate, but you may not have the time to type everything in combat." Garrus said, motioning towards the dead Scions ad Husks." Just gonna go with the fragmented sentences if that happens?"

I nodded, typing away at his arm, "If I have to, I can make do. Though I'll try to get used to typing quickly so I can get short messages out with this."

"Good plan. Have to ask though, what happened to throat? May be able to find a treatment." Mordin asked, bringing up his own Omnitool to run a search.

I thought for a moment while he mimed typing, then sent a message through to Cortana with a bitter smile at the taste of the lie he had to tell," My throat was slit in the ambush, they attacked from all sides. Used stealth to take me and a few others. I barely survived, but my vocal chords in my throat were damaged."

"Damn. Well, I took a missile to the face so I think we're about even as far as near death goes." Garrus laughed, watching the speck that was the shuttle coming for them.

"I also fell from space…" Cortana relayed, smiling to herself," I think I win."

Shepard and Garrus both laughed at that as the shuttle landed and everyone climbed aboard. Shepard and Garrus chatted idly while Mordin did some sort of research, presumably on the data he'd gained about the Collectors or my 'injuries'.

I decided it would be better to relax and chat with Cortana about where they both came from. Having someone who understood his 'situation' helped immensely, even if they were each the causes of the other's situation, however odd the circumstances and however inadvertent the causing was.

Once aboard the Normandy Shepard grabbed the Spartan's shoulders and steered him towards the conference room," Kelly, get the team together in the briefing room. We need to discuss a new member."

Within a few minutes, the entire team was in the small-ish room. Much to my delight, this included Kasumi. Make no mistake, I liked Zaeed and the rest of the team, but I was a major fan of Kasumi's. Bad part was, I ended up next to Shepard and Garrus for the meeting, while she was on the opposite end.

"Why have you called me here, Battlemaster?" Grunt said, striding grumpily into the room.

"I agree with the giant turtle, but I would guess it has something to do with the massive guy behind you. Right?" Kasumi said, standing on tip toes to see his visor from her spot on the opposite side of the room beside Grunt and Zaeed.

"This is Zero. He's our newest team member." Shepard said, gesturing at me," He has a wound that prevents his speech, so he is using a chat box he found. It has a female voice though, so I want to be clear. _**No **_mocking him."

After a chorus of 'Yes ma'am's' and a few grunts of acknowledgement, Shepard motioned for him to introduce himself. I hesitated for a brief second, then stepped forward and started to type," Hello everyone. I am Zero, and I am pleased to meet you. I look forward to seeing how well each of you holds up in battle while I am here as well as getting to know you all personally."

"You won't be learning one fucking thing about me," Jack drawled out in that calm yet hostile manner she used. "And take off the damn helmet. What are you, a fucking Quarian?"

"Not Quarian." Mordin said, rising to my defense," Has strange immune disorder. Helmet removal inadvisable. Infection highly probable and, most likely, lethal."

I nodded slowly in Mordin's direction and the aged Salarian smiled back. Jack looked at him for a second," Well how the fuck did you manage that, dumbass?"

"I was kidnapped, drugged, tortured and experimented on beside my friends. Then I was turned into _**this**_ freakish thing." Cortana said angrily." Then I was forced to fight for the people who did it to me or let my friends die. The immunity problem is a side effect."

Jack looked at him with wide eyes, mouth working in circles for several seconds. Then, much to everyone present's shock, her shoulders drooped." I'm sorry."

"You didn't know. Don't apologize." I said, walking around Garrus and Jacob to stand beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder," The point of the matter is, I survived. So let it go, and no Shepard I don't want to talk about that bit of my past." The typing forced him to move his hand, but Jack didn't react to it much. She just nodded, turned, and left.

I knew my lie had hit a few buttons, but it was only partially a lie. I _had _been kidnapped and turned into what I was against my will. And I _had _been forced to fight or watch my friends die. But I still felt bad, especially when Shepard explained Jack's actions in that sympathetic voice of hers.

"I was curious, where is an open, private, place I could stay in? I need some rest." He said, rolling his shoulders to ease some of the tension out of them.

"You could set up in the gun batteries with me." Garrus suggested," I could put in a request for sterilized human food while we are making you a spot. We'll each have a half of the room."

Zero though for a moment, talking to Cortana about it,' _**It would be a good chance for me to look at their weapons tech and their ships. If we want to build our own ships we need to know how they make theirs. Which would also, probably, help against the reapers?'**_

__'_I agree, it could be useful. But a UNSC ship of the line could easily go toe to toe with a Council equivalent.' _Cortana agree to it while she relayed Zero and her decision," Sounds agreeable. Though I ask you to not go through my things as I will have projects I am working on."

"Understandable." Garrus said, smiling in that Turian way so he looked almost predatory. "I'll go set everything up and talk to Gardner."

"I think that takes care of our debriefing." Shepard said with a clap of her hands," Dismissed. Jacob, you stay. We need to get our new guest settled on his weapons before the next op."

"Very well, Commander. I'll talk to him and we'll have him locked, cocked and ready to rock in an hour or less or it's free." He said, smirking. Shepard nodded curtly and strode out of the room quickly.

"Well then, shall we start?" I said, looking down at the African American man.

"Sure," he said, leading me towards the armory. **"**So what kinds of weapons are you looking for?"

"Well, due to my size, speed and strength, I tend to get in close and use my strengths to bring down my opponents. So a shotgun would be a must. I would also like some sort of heavy rifle for any longer range targets and some grenades. Kickback is not an issue for me in the slightest." I typed out quickly, smiling behind my visor as Jacob pulled up a list of weapons fitting that description.

"How about a Claymore shotgun and a Valkyrie assault rifle. They both have a mean kick to them, but you should be able to handle it. Ill mod them both to pierce, and give the rifle a scope." Jacob said, pulling the two weapons out of a locker along with a few small blocks and a scope. He also handed a few grenades to him," I'll give you some stickies, a few frags and some incendiaries. I'd suggest two per mission to keep it on level."

I just nodded, and left Jacob to his work. I headed downstairs, aware of my radar pinging on someone behind who he couldn't see. I walked past Garrus, who was arguing with Gardner about food supplies, and into the Main Batteries. Once the door sealed, I spun around quickly and grabbed both of Kasumi's arms before shoving her against a wall to complete my defensive movement.

"Whoa there, big guy. You wouldn't hurt a lady, would you?" Kasumi said, de-cloaking with her hands raised at the elbows. I grunted and dropped her.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. You just startled me, that's all. Did I injure you?" I said, kneeling where she was sitting.

"Just a little cut from the bulkhead on the side of my head, no biggie. I'll have Chakwas-"I cut her off, pulling a can of bio-foam from his thigh container next to the one with the Collector tech and reaching up to her head. I, gingerly, took her chin in my hands and tilted her head up so that her hood fell back to expose her cut. As gently as possible, I applied a dab of the foam to my finger before smoothing it across the cut. I took the moment I needed to find a bandage in my armor to look at her face, something I had wanted to see every moment she was in the game.

She had a young, Asian face with black hair falling to her shoulders and, though she was blushing slightly, he noticed that she was rather pretty and that she had that mischievous glint in those charcoal black eyes. Her hair was almost entirely black, save for two dark blue stripes that started at the crown of her head and flowed down the back of her head. I pulled the small bandage to the cut on her face, and pressed it gently there before I rose and offered my hand.

She looked at it for a moment before she took it, and he pulled her up with barely any effort. Doing this I managed to see that the blue in her hair flowed towards each other before it linked up and circled itself in a helix like shape. She pulled the hood up and, mumbling a thank you, moved towards the door. She cloaked as it opened, admitting a very confused Garrus who spotted her cloaking a second before it was completed.

I shrugged at the Turian before sitting down on my side of the massive gun. After arranging the Collector weapons on a small shelf Garrus had, presumably, moved there for me. I was happy with the collection so far and took a quick count while I sat there. I had grabbed a Collector Particle Beam, Collector Submachine Gun, two Collector Pistols, A shattered Collector Sniper Rifle ('still usable', by Cortana's judgment.) a Collector Barrier Generator and several Collector Grenades and armor pieces. She would start setting things up by selling this batch and hiring out researchers, mercs and renting a place for a base to conduct research from. Soon, she would start raising a force to fend off the invasion. Hell, I might have a team prepped and geared for the current mission we were on. For now, while Cortana started looking into the things they need to get started, I laid back and got some sleep.

(A/N: Short chapter, sorry. Just wanted to do the quick intro to the Normandy crew, or at least a few of them, and get weapons sorted out. Hope you like it so far. The only part I, personally, dislike is the Kasumi part. Seems to pushy, but that was how my friend wanted me to play it out this chapter.


	4. Pregame

(A/N: Dear god, how long do I need to make each chapter to actually have a length I would enjoy reading? I'll try for twenty per chapter and see how that works. Oh, and to rongladiator, I anticipate creating these weapons for Zero's use. Except, maybe, the Spartan Laser. Never honestly liked it. I hope you all enjoy my stories, as well as Zero's adventures. Enjoy, my new friends. Also, does anyone know how to indent the paragraphs in the actual story on Fanfiction? They won't stay indented? I'm going to copy paste this, and any other, chapter. Also, look into a story called Masses 2 Masses. I have been reading it and am in love with it. One last note, I will update my stories as much as I may while I am where I am, but in a few days that will slow considerably. I will upload several chapters every two weeks. Hopefully the number will be satisfactory. Short chapter, for tonight. Its late and next chapter will be the mission.)

"So," Garrus started, and I turned towards his feet which was all I could actually see of him since he was calibrating the main gun's reloader. "You ready to go to Illium? I hear we'll be grabbing the assassin first."

"I'm ready, got my guns a little while ago actually. I hear the Commander has a friend on the planet. True?" Cortana relayed through my speakers,' how's the weapon sales coming?'

_"Pretty well, actually. I sold the schematics for the barrier generator to the Turian, Asari, Hanar, Volus and Human militaries." _She answered, bringing an account readout up on my HUD which showed around 500,000,000.

"Yeah, it's true. An old friend of both of ours, actually. Her name is Liara T'Soni. We met her during our last mission against Saren. Heard she became an information broker." He answered, poking a hand out from under the massive cannon," Wrench please."

I handed him the small, bright orange tool before I turned my attention back to the array of Collector weapons on the bench I had borrowed from Jacob. I had spent the last several hours attempting to dismantle them and had met with some success before rendering the weapons almost completely useless. To start with, they were all semi-organic. A fact that, though slightly obvious, is still a puzzle in and of itself. The firing mechanisms were also a puzzle. Semi-organic, like the rest of the gun, but unattached to anything. And the ammo seemed to be a mixture of plasma and bits of metal that would melt on firing into a small slug like bullet that would tear and burn the target. But, I have to wonder. Why plasma?

"Ground team, we will be landing in five minutes. Everyone get prepped and meet up at the air lock. I'll be taking Kasumi, Garrus and Zero on this op. everyone else, shore leave unless you have something that needs to be done." Shepard called out over the ship's speaker systems.

"Well, that'd be the call to arms I guess." Garrus said, rolling the sled like thing he was laying on out from beneath the Thanix and rolling onto his knees before rising. He walked over to a crate, the one that Shepard would sit on during the in-game conversations sometimes, and opened it to start arming himself. "Nervous?"

"No, sir. I've served most of my life, up until I was discharged. I got over my nerves years ago." I answered (assume form now on that Zero is 'typing', unless it's specified against that fact or obvious he can't)

"Understandable, but don't call me 'sir'. We don't really have ranks on this ship, aside from Shepard. Take it easy." He said while I armed myself. I nodded and followed him out the door towards the elevator. We joined Kasumi on it and headed up to the CIC. I quietly checked my guns in the back of the elevator, making sure I could collapse and un-collapse them easily enough. I had stored the grenades in the compartment on my left leg.

Shepard nodded in acknowledgement of our arrival and, after the landing, we marched out the airlock door. I hung back a small distance, after her brief conversation with a young Asari woman, we continued on towards where I remembered Liara's office being. I opted to wait outside the office, citing the idea of watching the only major entrance as my reason. Though I really just didn't feel like listening to all the old friends talk. Kasumi seemed to share the sentiment, and joined me.

"So, you gonna stand there or talk to me?" She asked after around ten minutes of idle standing, me lost in thought as Cortana compiled all the plans, scenarios and schematics she had in her data files from the Human-Covenant war. From what she had told me, Ares, Artemis and Athena had pooled their resources to buy her some extra time before she went rampant.

"What would you like to talk about?" I asked, arms crossed and leaning against a wall.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm just happy you decided against pinning me against a wall this time." She said, chuckling.

"Hey, that was your fault. You were the one stalking me, no?" I said, turning to look at her. "And I apologized already."

_"You know, she may just be giving you a hard time."_ Cortana said distractedly, hacking nearby terminals for money and information. _"And remind me again why I'm doing all the work?" _

'Because, I am terrible at money and I can't actually hack. And I doubt she's trolling me.' I answered back quickly.

"Not stalking. Observing. There is a difference you know." She quipped back snarkily.

"Stalking." I continued, once again annoyed that I sounded like Cortana," And just be more careful, I don't want to hurt you because you startled me."

Before she had a chance to respond, Shepard came out of the room with Garrus close behind. Nodding to each of us, she set off towards the door at the base of the stairs. I smirked beneath my helmet while Shepard and the others planned the next step of the mission. I smirked because Cortana had just notified me of something good.

She had just hired a team of scientists, ship makers and chemists. She had also forwarded plans for the Shaw-Fujikawa Slipspace drive. They were beginning research and, upon gaining a working model, would begin implementing them into a series of six ships. According to her, they had questioned the size and nature of the ships but had, for the most part, decided to simply get to work when the resources arrived.

(Like I said, very, very short chapter. Sorry, just a filler. May be a while before another update, but expect a LOT of chapters, and several polls, when I return. Until then, keelah se'lai.)


	5. Chapter 5Aithor noteApologyExplanation

Hi. Sorry it has been such a ridiculously long time since my last upload, but some shit went down in my life:

-A very good friend of mine passed away

-My school tried to SCREW me, but Ive come back from that

-My parents are getting divorced

-My Great-Grandpa died I got dumped (By Ciara, lol.)

-And I got stabbed. And it hurt. A veritable shit ton.

Thank you for your patience, and I apologize for the wait. I will have several chapters for each story plus the starting four or five for a new one (I wont do anymore starts after this until all my series are done, unless someone has a great idea or I want to post a challenge up.)

I would like to request that someone create covers for my stories, and explain how the Beta reader works. As well as volunteers to Beta read. I know I had one, but I am unsure if he/she still wishes to do it.

Thank you.


	6. A Failure

The meeting with the Asari contact Liara had provided went smoothly enough and we were already on our way to the Dantius Towers to make contact with Thane. I was sitting in the back, trying not to have a conniption. I was about to actually meet Thane Krios. My favorite character of any game, ever.

We landed soon and moved quickly to engage the security mechs. In other words, Cortana blew them to hell with a tech attack she had made.

"Did you do that, Zero?" Garrus asked quickly. I simply nodded, and we continued on.

"Wounded over here." Kasumi said, and we quickly moved up to regroup around the wounded Salarian. "He's in rough shape, Shep."

"Shit. Just hold on, I've got some Medi-Gel right here, I just gotta get it prepped." Shepard said, tapping away at her 'tool.

_"He's not gonna make it with Medi-Gel, Chris. Use some Bio-Foam." _Cortana said, opening the compartment to give me access to it. I grabbed it, pushing the team aside and slid the nozzle into the bullet wound, ignoring the Salarian's gasp at the stinging sensation from the foam it self's sanitizing elements." You'll be fine now; this will stop the bleeding and clean the wound. We will rescue the other workers, if they are alive. Just rest now and let us handle it."

"What is that stuff?" Shepard asked after I rose from my kneeling position. I turned around, looking down at least a foot on her.

"Bio-Foam. My own invention, actually. It works like Medi-gel, but it is better in that it allows blood flow to essential vessels and sanitizes the wound. Once it's no longer needed it will simply break up in the blood stream harmlessly." Cortana said, accessing her files on the UNSC's equipment and simply repeating what was already written.

"That's some pretty advanced stuff. I'm very impressed. I want you to give Chakwas some samples and instructions so we can replicate it once we return. That is, if you are ok with us using your invention?" She said, leading down the hall and peering around the corner," I see a few in-active mechs and at least seven Eclipse members up ahead. Zero, whatever you did to the mechs at the entrance do it again on my command."

"Ready to fire on command. And I do not mind you using it one bit." I said, as Cortana prepped the virus she had made to do the task.

As several mercs came close to the mechs, she gave the order and I detonated the mechs like small bombs. The resulting explosion killed three mercs and wounded two more. Garrus picked off another one as he moved for cover, blowing his head clean from his shoulders and the last one slid behind a crate and blind fired but did not come out. After a second or two, her gun jammed and I moved towards her at top speed, crossing the thirty or so feet in around six seconds and leaping atop the crate she was behind. The crate collapsed and she stumbled away as it splintered. Sinking to one knee, I grabbed her ankle and dragged her back to me holding her upside down. In desperation, she fired her Predator into my chest until it to overheated and jammed.

"Surrender or I will kill you." I said calmly. In answer she dropped her small pistol and held her hands up, or down depending on perspective, and after I kicked the gun away and crushed her rifle under foot. "Smart girl." I said as the team came up beside me and I lowered her to the ground where she lay on her back. "Commander, she has surrendered and her squad members are wounded. Permission to release her?"

"Granted. But if she follows us, or warns her friends, we will find her and kill her." Shepard said as the girl looked obviously relieved.

"What are your specializations, name and rank as compared to military ranks?" I asked, kneeling in front of her and handing her a small datapad.

"Uh, well I am an excellent medic and I guess my rank would be a Sergeant. And my name is Mila Tanovich. Why do you ask?" She said, taking the datapad and then my hand.

"Enter that information into that datapad and go to those coordinates. Tell them the passcode is 'Spartans never retreat' and they will let you in. You've just been recruited, Mila." I said after I had helped her up.

"Umm, Sir?" She said, looking at the pad," Thanks for not killing me."

"Just don't make us regret it." Garrus said, reloading his rifle," And take care of your friends."

She nodded, moving to one of the wounded mercs and starting to treat her wounds. We moved on, up a stairwell where Shepard stopped us and looked at me critically. "Look, I understand what you did. But time is limited here. We can't afford to just wait for every single merc who wants to give up."

"I will not simply kill them because it is inconvenient not to." I said angrily, towering above her.

"Look, I of all people understand limiting casualties wherever possible. But Shepard is right, we don't have time." Kasumi said, placing a hand on my forearm. I turned to her quickly, surprised. And she quickly added," I am sorry though."

"I _will _limit casualties wherever possible regardless of your opinions. These men and women, however green, are relatively skilled. Everyone has potential, and obviously the will to try and that makes them a resource against the Reapers. That takes precedence over everything else." I said, Cortana even able to relay the anger behind my voice as it was mirrored in her own. I glared down at the small woman and she stared back at me, her eyes almost evaluating me. "If that is an issue, I will gladly leave after this mission is finished. Because, in all honesty, if Mila saves even one Alliance, or any other government's soldiers, then she is easily worth the time. "

"You have a valid point. Very well, we will accept surrenders if they happen." She said coolly, walking up the small corridor with us following her close behind in silence.

'Great. I just pissed off Commander freaking Shepard.' I thought to myself as we approached an open area which I knew would lead to the next major firefight.

_'Yeah, so? Big deal, the bitch can handle it. Why are you so worried?' _Cortana asked in a slightly unhappy sounding voice.

'People who piss her off tend to not live very long, if at all, after the fact. It is a bit of a health hazard.' I answered, checking my rifle out of habit for any damage from the last firefight,' Kinda funny that my guns are more likely to get trashed in a fight than I am.'

_'Yeah, Chief used to say that too. He lost his favorite Magnum once because he fell down a hill and crushed it.' _Cortana laughed.

'Miss him?' I asked, raising my rifle as the first line of mercs started to pepper us with assault rifle fire. Normally they were no problem, but the sheer number of them firing forcing evens me into cover. I leaned out, firing quick bursts into the unshielded troopers while Garrus and Kasumi worked the ones who had shields and Shepard used her biotics to shear apart any vulnerable cover.

_'Yeah. A lot, actually. He was the closest thing to an actual friend I had had up until that point.' _She answered, marking targets in my HUD for me to eliminate.

Shepard used a Warp to smash a rather large portion of wall apart, revealing several more troopers. They tried to scatter, moving towards separate pieces of cover, but we quickly cut them all down, now they numbered in the single digits and, with an accurate grenade from Garrus, that number quickly dropped to zero. 'Sorry.' I said, after the two minute fight had ended,' I know how that feels. Wish you hadn't had this happen to you, but there is not much to do for it right now.'

_'That's true enough, I guess. Let's just focus on the task at hand for now. We'll talk later.' _She said quickly. I wasn't so sure she was ok, but I chose to let the matter sit for now.

"So, Zero, tell me a bit about yourself." Shepard said from the front of our group as we engaged another small group of mercs. They were easily dispatched and, after I 'dropped' a can of Bio-Foam by one of the wounded men, we moved on to the last part of the mission from what I could remember. The god damn elevator of 'fuck your Insanity play through.'

"Zero, key up the elevator, we'll help you handle whatever comes through." Shepard ordered as she and the others set up a cross fire using the crates and building materials for cover.

I nodded, moving towards the elevator quickly and reaching for the small orange button. Just before I could press it, the button turned green and, with a ding, the doors slid open revealing two Eclipse Vanguards, one Asari and one Human and a scarred old Krogan Bounty Hunter. We all froze for a moment, my hand still reaching towards the button, before any of us reacted.

I lunged forward, grabbing the Human and throwing her out of the elevator and towards the wall by the locked door where the Salarians were hiding. 'Cortana, unlock any sealed doors after we have passed them and direct them out of the building.' I said, turning when I heard the Krogan roar. My eyes widened beneath my helmet as he slammed into me, lifting me off my feel and carrying me out of the elevator.

Regaining my composure, I dug my feet into the floor and forced the Krogan to stop his charge. Then I tried to throw him off of me, which proved considerably more difficult than I had previously thought. He slid a few feet before he managed to stop himself.

"Who are you Human? I've never known one of your kind to be able to survive a charger much less throw one of my kind even a few feet without biotics." He said, smiling slightly and standing up to his full height.

"Zero. I'm a Spartan. We're not exactly a common sight around here. I'll offer you one chance to surrender and let me hire you instead of Nassana." I said, attaching my rifle to the magnets on my back.

"I will make you an offer as well. Defeat me in a one on one fight and I will serve you free of charge." He said calmly, I nodded," Good. No guns or knives. Just you, me and a brawl that I hope will get my blood flowing."

He swung at me, a hard right hook I caught in my left hand. He smirked then, swinging his other arm. I moved to catch it as well and the I saw the glow of biotics surrounding his fists. My eyes widened and I stepped back, but he saw this and grabbed my left arm with his right hand. The force of the hit threw me back several feet, and I landed in a crouch trying to catch my breath. Before I had long to recover he came towards me with another loud roar. I rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding a head on collision with the titan, and came up quickly.

He turned, laughing, and charged again. I lashed out with a kick to his chest, which slowed him nearly to a halt, and then launched into a jumping round house to his back. Krogan or not, that particular hit had to hurt him quite a bit. He snarled, biting back whatever pain he had felt. I landed on my left hand and, using it like a spring and leaping into the air. I landed several feet away, just as the Warlord stood up again.

"What is your name?" I asked, readying myself for the next part of the fight.

"Weyrloc Tarack." He answered, smiling at me. I nodded, and he lunged towards me once again. I threw a hard left, which he blocked, and he responded with a devastating blow to my chest. I gasped, and leapt back a foot to escape his reach. He charged again, and we continued trading blows for several minutes before I managed to get in a crushing punch to his forehead that sent him reeling back. Then I kicked the back of his knee, forcing him down, and placed him in a head lock. After a minute of struggling, he sighed audibly. "I yield, Human. You are too much for me to handle."

"Good." I said, sinking to one knee and pulling out another datapad like the one I had given Mila." Because I am exhausted. Enter your name here and proceed to provided coordinates."

"Yes, I will do as you say. But I have one question, why do you type on that Omni tool constantly and sound like a woman?" He asked, rising from the ground.

"Long story. Don't ask." I said, chuckling lightly. "Now go, before Shepard puts a few rounds in your head."

He nodded and I moved towards the team's location. Apparently a second team had arrived and had them pinned down. I put two clean bursts through the Troopers heads and threw another down the hole in the floor. Garrus finished the last with a shot from his Mattock.

"Took your sweet time didn't you?" Kasumi asked as we loaded up on the elevator and headed up towards the bridge. The elevator groaned the whole way under, I assume, my weight. Once we arrived we moved through the open area.

Shepard looked to our right, then did a double take," Rockets!"

We all turned, seeing half a dozen rockets racing towards us. Shepard, using her Biotics, threw Garrus several dozen yards and then ran to escape the rockets. Cortana ran the data she had and informed me that only I could escape in time. On my command, she unlocked the safeties on my armor allowing me to quickly run and grab both Kasumi and Shepard, then I spun on my heel and used my own momentum to throw them back the way we had come.

I continued on, using the momentum from the throw and my turn to propel me, and managed to avoid most of the rockets that had been launched at us by the ambush team. Several hit near me, the shrapnel pinging off my shields and knocking them down to half power. But one smacked straight into my chest, throwing me to the floor and sending me rolling across it violently. The blast was enough to knock my shields out and the remaining mercenaries opened fire even as I began to rise once more.

I tried to focus, to regain my composure, but I couldn't hear anything through the ringing in my ears and I was blinded by the red emergency lights flashing in my visor. The blast, and the slam to the floor that had followed, had hurt even through the armor I wore. My arm moved on its own, the armor seeming to act under its own will, and lifted to ward off the rounds being fired by the mercenaries.

_"You can rest now, Chris. I can handle this. I'll take it from here." _Cortana said, her voice seeming to lull me to sleep. I gave in, and fell unconscious.

Cortana's P.O.V.

When he hit, I knew he couldn't just bounce right back. It wasn't like anything he had ever taken before. If his armor had been locked up, he would have been fine, his shields would have been reinforced by power being redirected from other points, such as the radar systems, and absorbed the blast easily enough.

So I used a gift from Ares, a little safety net he had installed. I over-rode the armor, seizing control I used his arm to shield his vulnerable head." You can rest now, Chris. I can handle this. I'll take it from here." I told him, administering a powerful sedative to put him to sleep.

Using his body, I ran to a nearby wall and used it as cover. The weapons he had been using were trashed, beyond even my abilities to repair. So I grabbed what had once been his shotgun and threw it, sending it sailing through the air and into one of the merc's chest. I repeated the process with his rifle, and followed that with one of his grenades, which sheared apart the weapons and added to the shrapnel that tore through the enemies.

"I need a new weapon." I said, remembering to pretend to type on 'my' Omni-tool. "Mine were trashed by the explosion."

"Well where are they? Maybe I can salvage something from them." Garrus asked quickly, rubbing his shoulder.

"I blew them up." I said, gesturing over my shoulder towards the scorched area the mercs had been using for cover.

Garrus seem slightly stunned by that, and Kasumi and Shepard just laughed at his face. "Here. You can use this Predator for now." Shepard said, handing 'me' the small sidearm. "Now let's get going, we're almost finished here."

We kept moving, easily cutting through the enemies lines, usually by throwing the opponents off the edge of the building with Biotics, concussive blasts, concussion grenades, or by me simply flinging them off of the building.

We kept moving, after Garrus destroyed the opposing turrets, and reached the middle of the bridge with few actual enemy encounters. Then they attacked, firing from the elevated position on the balcony. The rest of the team took cover behind several slabs of cement and steel, firing over the cover in short bursts. I however, simply kept walking calmly. With quick, accurate shots I executed eight of the un-shielded opponents while I advanced. I then threw several grenades, blowing away another six of them as well as a portion of the wall. Then, along with several other high ranked Eclipse officers, a Salarian popped out of cover. It fired off an overload, which smacked into me and shattered my shields as well as overloading 'my' armor systems.

I screamed in pain, my sensors and systems overloading and breaching at several different points in my hardware and software. My borrowed body collapsed, spasming on the ground. I turned Chris' head, looking at Shepard as she ran towards me.

"H-help us… We can't…." I blacked out, and didn't awaken for some time. I could only hope we would survive this mission. We still had a lot to do, and hadn't even started yet.


	7. To Infinity, and Beyond?

_Shepard's P.O.V._

I looked down at Zero's prone form, it had taken half an hour just to get him back on the Normandy. I'd ordered Chakwas to check him, but _something _had his armor locked down completely. I looked across at Garrus and Kasumi, both of whom had refused to leave when word got out about the incident that had transpired at the end of the mission.

"What will you do?" Kasumi asked, for the third time, looking at her lap. "I mean, I get that A.I.s are illegal, but we have E.D.I. and I'm a professional thief to boot."

I looked at her and Garrus for several seconds, thinking over my decision. Then I walked over to Zero, looking down at his helmet. "We wait until he wakes up, and then see what he has to say. That's what we do."

I looked down at Zero for a moment longer, before turning and leaving the medical area. Garrus followed me shortly there-after but Kasumi elected to stay. I grimaced slightly at that, and hoped Zero had a good explanation for everything.

_Zero's mind_

"You've really stepped in it now, haven't you? Not even a week in, and you have already screwed up." Ares said, sitting on a small chair by a warm looking fire-place. I looked at his face, and saw that he seemed paler than normal and slouched forward in his chair. "Not my fault, I'm new to this whole 'servant of the gods' business."

"True, true. And I must admit that you seemed to be doing rather well, up until you were knocked for a few loops back there. But that stunning attack, Overload I believe it's called, should not have knocked you out the way it did. I suspect some kind of intervention." He picked up a goblet of water from the table, though there had been no table beside his chair a moment before. "Now, on to the reason you're here. You need a way out of your little… situation. I have two things for you, and bear in mind I will need you to succeed in that dimension before I can help you anymore. The first, is that I will be giving you three people who will wait for you on the planet Tak'bar. The second is a surprise, but I'm quite sure you will thoroughly enjoy it. Oh, and one last thing, before you list off your choices. There is a champion of the Titans running amok, he has already brought the Imperium to ruin, unfortunately."

"What? That quickly? How is that even possible?" I said quickly," And what do you propose we even do about it?"

"I don't rightly know, unfortunately. All I can do is provide the three people you have asked for and hope you can make it the rest of the way on your own." He answered calmly.

"There aren't any actual people I can think of, but I want a ship here. I want the UNSC Infinity and John 117. Those two will make exceptional aids in the fights to come." I answered, smirking slightly.

"Done and done. Do not ask for anything else from me, because I cannot grant anything else to you." He said quietly, looking down at me," Now go! And do not fail me again."

_The Normandy : Medical Bay_

I groaned, rolling my head to the side. 'Damn Ares, couldn't we talk without you giving me a massive headache?' I rolled my head to the right, spotting Kasumi chatting idly with Chakwas.

"Ahh, and the slumbering giant awakens." Shepard said coldly, looking at me as I rose. I lifted my arm to 'type' when she held up a hand, "Don't even try. We know it's not a voice program." She said, tapping a Carnifex on her hip," So, I'll give you one chance. Tell me the truth and I'll let you get off my ship, alive. Lie to me, and I'll put a shot right through your skull."

"You wouldn't believe the truth!" Cortana screamed angrily before I could say anything. "We barely do! But I'll tell you any way. I'm Cortana, UNSC Smart AI serial number CTN-0452-09. I was created by Doctor Catherin Halsey and began my mission in the year 2549, after the Covenant began attacking human worlds. Me, and my Sparta Sierra 117, were placed together and have been fighting that war for nearly six years, give or take. We finally won and were cast adrift in space-"

"What was your mission?" Shepard asked, placing a hand on the Carnifex and narrowing her eyes.

I rose to my full height and said in my own voice," To defend Earth and all of her colonies."

"Well then, John, I find that-"

"Not John. Not that good." I answered for myself.

"Fine then. I still don't believe a word of that." A ping sounded from her Omni-Tool and she looked down in surprise.

"I just sent you a video, of me and John fighting the Covenant and another of him fighting the Flood. " Cortana said calmly. "View them before you continue that argument. Well just board _our _ ship which should be here momentarily."

I strode past her while she opened the videos, headed towards the elevator. I ignored both Garrus and Kasumi and entered the elevator. Once it reached the CIC I moved to the air lock and waited. "So is there some invisible ship out there or something, or did you just miss me?" Joker asked, looking over his shoulder. 'Go, now.' I followed Cortana's order and proceeded to open the airlock, which she hacked and placed a temporary seal on it. Once the door opened, amid EDI's multiple warnings and attempts to override my hacking, I leapt out and drifted forward. After a moment, a massive ship appeared in front of me, the words _UNSC Infinity _emblazoned on its side.

Cortana fired my small thrusters, and continued making micro adjustments as we drifted towards a pelican launch bay, which she sent an override to to open and activate the breach containment protocols, activating a shield that, while it sealed in Oxygen, also allowed me to drift in and land, kneeling on the deck surrounded by a squad of very surprised Marines and a few engineers.

After a few seconds, one of them spoke," Holy shit, Is that a Spartan?"


	8. Reunion Part 1

(A/N: In case you missed it, I'm back guys. Ill post as many chapters as I possibly may before I lose that capability again. May get ten out, or a hundred, before I lose the ability once more. I will wait approximately three hours to work on new chapters after the previous chapter and this one. Any suggestions submitted in that time will go into consideration. This chapter will mostly be brief filler. And I do mean BRIEF, like maybe five hundred words or so. This is just a quick intro to Captain Lasky, Chief, and a few others. That's all. Thank you my friends, for your patience. I'm sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoy.)

I was currently under heavy guard, by which I mean several ODSTs and three Spartan IVs. They had wanted my helmet removed, but after my explanation about my immunity disorder, and a doctor's corroboration, we had entered Slip space and I had been remanded to a large room. To wait for something, though I didn't know what.

Around a half an hour later, according to Cortana's time count, Captain Lasky, a scientist I did not know who stood around 5'9" with glasses over his eyes, one being green and the other blue and a bald head with a scar starting at the top of his right eye brow and going diagonally over his head to disappear into the collar of his shirt. Sarah Palmer came in as well, followed by none other than the fully kitted John 117. Upon spotting him I snapped to my feet with a salute.

"At ease, Spartan," Lasky said smirking," Now how about you explain who you are, exactly?"

"Of course." Cortana said, her voice snapping John's helmet around to me instantly. Helmet or no, I could feel his yes boring into me.

"Cortana? But I thought you were destroyed on the Didact's ship, how are you here?" Lasky said as Chief's hands tightened on the table, denting the metal.

I nodded, and Cortana explained everything. Ares, me, Shepard and the Normandy. Even the Reapers. Almost two hours later, she finished. Lasky stood up calmly, but with a weary look in his eyes and a straight back and left, citing the need to give out orders to his crew and brief the crew on the information. Sarah and the scientist, whose name I had not gotten, both followed. And this way, I was left alone with the man I respected above all others.

"Cortana?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah, it's me John. How long was I gone?" She asked quietly.

"Barely a week. I was headed to the armory after my debrief when you two came aboard. Captain Lasky requested I accompany him." He answered quickly.

"I missed you." She said quickly," This is Zero by the way. Ares saved me and him and gave us this chance. He was in his world's military as well, before he was honorably discharged due to his injuries."

"What kinds of injuries did he sustain?" Chief asked calmly, but I took note of how his hands relaxed slightly.

"My throat. Cut. Voice damaged. Hard to talk. Hurts a lot." I answered, hand going to my throat unconsciously.

"Well, it's good to have you aboard. You too, Cortana." He said calmly, standing up. "Wait here, I'll go see what they're saying." With that he strode purposefully from the room. I could feel Cortana's joy permeating through the neural link which quelled my innate fear of being entrapped in a room as I was. She sensed my unease and used her feelings of joy to mask it, and lull me to sleep. I leaned back in the chair, and fell into the embrace of sleep for a few hours.


	9. Reunion, Interlude

Infinity Briefing Room

Lasky's P.O.V.

"Bullshit, sir." Palmer said dismissively from the other end of the room. "Gods? Magic? That's insane."

"More insane than us being in another universe or less?" Lasky asked, quirking an eyebrow and sipping at his now lukewarm coffee.

"That's beside the point and you know it. That can be explained-"

"Not necessarily." Doctor Soren said, standing up," So far my theories on this are few, and all require some sort of Slip Space accident. However, our Shaw-Fujikawa drives and our Forerunner segments of the engines are all in perfect working order. We have to face what we know. We are here, and we don't know how it happened."

"Agreed. For now, I say we work with this 'Alliance'. Our technology, however is ours. And as for Zero….. Add him to Spartan team Crimson. For now." Lasky ordered, looking towards Palmer.

"Sir. Distress call from a human colony. Says they're under attack. Pirates I think." And Ensign said, opening the door.

"Order us about towards the colony. All hands to battle stations. Prep Majestic, Crimson and Gypsy. I want boots on the ground as soon as possible." Lasky ordered quickly,' Let's see what you've got, Zero.'

"Yes sir!" He said, sprinting from the room. A moment later the alarm sounded, signaling the crew to prepare for combat.

"I want you on the ground too, Sarah. Watch Zero. I'll want a full report on him when this is over." He said calmly, nodding towards his old friend.

"Yes sir!" She said, saluting before heading towards the door and down to the Spartan deck and armories.


	10. Reunion: The First Battle

Chief calmly opened the door to the briefing room I'd been in for several hours so far," We've picked up a distress call from a nearby human planet and are moving to assist. You've been ordered to accompany Crimson on the ground. Eliminate the attackers as quickly as possible. Leave the survivors to the marines."

"Got it, John." Cortana said quietly.

"I'm… Glad you're alright, Cortana." He said with his back turned to me, his head quirked to the side.

I stood up, walking over to him and placed a single gauntleted hand on his shoulder," I keep safe." I managed to grunt out.

He nodded curtly," Thank you. Do you need anything for the mission?"

"I need a weapon." I said through Cortana, feeling her amusement through our mental link. I nearly laughed audibly when he quirked his head slightly towards me before nodding and opening the door.

I followed him wordlessly down the halls of the ship. Even though I had no clue where on the ship I was, I trusted the Chief to be a straight shooter and not lead me astray. Whether that was my own opinion, or something from Cortana's personality bleeding through it did not matter, though the latter option was not a very comforting idea. Within minutes we were approaching a door clearly labeled as the armory, the marines guarding it saluted to the Chief but looked startled by my appearance, their hands dropping back to their rifles and shoulders tensing.

Chief just walked by them, ignoring them completely and I followed suit, only nodding an acknowledgement to the men as I followed him into the room. Dozens of men, Spartans and Marines both, were running around the room gathering their own weapons of choice, a man jogged up to me when he noticed the Chief and I. He handed the Chief an MA5B and a Magnum as well as a few frag grenades," What type of death would you like to dish out today?" He asked me, placing his hands on the table and leaning forward.

"A shotgun, and assault rifle, a magnum and a few grenades as backup. If that's permissible," I answered quickly. He nodded quickly and turned, tying into the computer beside him. I assumed he was listing the weapons we were taking with us. Within a few minutes a marine ran up with my weapons and a datapad.

"Head to hangar bay seven, just past the Spartan Hub. You'll meet up with Crimson there. I heard the Chief will be there as well. This datapad will grant you the clearance you need to get there. You'll need a guide though." He said, turning towards his computer again. "Just wait here," he said typing," I'm calling for an escort."

A minute later a young, red haired marine woman came in through the door I had used only a moment before," I'm Private Alicia Wood, I'll take you to your Pelican." She said, looking up from her datapad briefly," I'll wait until you're ready to go."

I placed the shotgun and assault rifle on my back, as well as snapping the magnum to my right thigh and turned to her, nodding subtly. She nodded back, albeit a bit more meekly than she had before. And we started to make our way to the Pelican launch bay. "So, uh, I heard that you were some sort of black ops guy. That true?"

"No." Cortana said quietly, distracted by her continuing conversation with the Chief," It's kind of complex actually. Didn't you get the data package?"

"Yeah. Said we got sent to another galaxy or some shit. Personally I don't buy it. That stuffs only in movies. Right?" she asked, opening a door and looking at me hopefully.

"Wrong. I'm from this world, brought here and given gifts by a god." Cortana said calmly, and making Alicia quirk an eyebrow. "Like I said, complex."

'How's John doing?' I said to the A.I. coolly, breaking myself from the conversation, and no longer listening to Cortana drone on and on about theories.

'He's good. Happy to hear from me again. And he's asking about you.' I quirked my head to the side at that, smirking slightly.

'What's he asking?' I asked tilting my head to the side.

'Nothing in specific. I'm just telling him stuff about you that I know. Nothing you'd be concerned with him knowing.' She answered quickly.

'That's fine.' I answered turning my attention to the three Spartans in front of the Pelican I'd been shown to. Two women and a man, the man on the right was wearing the Pathfinder set while the other was an Engineer. The only woman was a Pioneer, and they all had their MA5Bs on their back and magnums, save for the woman who also had a shotgun in place of a magnum.

"So you're the mysterious Zero, eh?" The Engineer said walking up to me, rifle pointed up in the air," What makes you so special, eh?"

"You read the file, so you know what makes him so special, dumbass." The woman said, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. "Don't worry about Rico, he's harmless unless you're shooting at him. I'm Alice, and that guy over there is Alexi." She said, gesturing with her helmet towards the still sitting member of the team who waved his rifle in greeting. "I understand you and Commander Palmer are accompanying us on our op today?"

"Yes. The Master Chief as well, if I remember right." Cortana said happily and I couldn't help the small smile that formed itself on my lips. The positive emotions coming from her were too much for me to resist.

"That's right Spartans," Sarah said walking into the Pelican's launch bay.

"Officer on the deck!" Alice cried sending the three Spartan IVs to attention as I turned to her and the Chief.

"At ease Spartans," She said glaring at me," Any reason why you just stood there?" She directed at me, arms crossed.

"I don't know you. You have earned no respect from me, so outside of battle I will treat you as any other until you have earned my respect." Cortana relayed for me," As it stands, you've lost more than you've earned so far."

"What are you talking about?" She asked head quirked to the side.

I took several steps towards her so that only she and Chief could hear me," Halsey. You tried to murder her. That makes you less than trash. A wise, brave man once said that to disobey an order made you trash, filth to be scraped away, but to abandon a comrade is to be less than that filth."

"But-"She started, only to have the Chief's gauntleted hand grasp her shoulder.

"Halsey. You tried to kill her?" He asked quietly.

"Yes. Tried being the key word. She was saved by Jul, the Elite leading the Didact's Hand, who you fought on Requiem. He saved her and now, she is on his side. Seeking vengeance for her betrayal." I continued, my own anger influencing Cortana and forcing it to be reflected in her voice," She created the Spartans for Humanity, and saved your race. Imagine what she will do now, with her rage set in her mind."

"I had a job to do. That is all it was. She was working with him before that." She defended herself, looking at the Chief, not at me. He looked at me, for confirmation I assumed.

"They were talking, comparing research notes and the like. He supplied her with the Promethean artifact she needed and she shared some data." I answered him.

He released her shoulder, taking a couple steps back. And to my shock, I found myself calculating how best to kill Sarah and the three Spartans behind me. Looking behind me, I saw they had no clue what was happening and were simply watching the scene unfold.

As the tension rose, me looking at each of the assembled soldiers, wondering how best to get out of this situation, the alarm sounded and snapped us out of our silence as the Pelican rolled into the hangar," Let's just do our jobs." I said, boarding the aircraft and taking a seat near the exit. The Spartans, excluding Chief, all sat on the opposite side from me and a squad of ODSTs climbed in as well, extra support I assumed.

Several seconds later, I felt the ship vibrate and my head jerked upwards, looking around for the source. This elicited a small chuckle from the assembled men and women and I looked at the Chief," We just exited Slipspace."

I looked back down, feeling embarrassed and feeling Cortana's amusement.' You could've told me you know.'

'That was more fun.' She answered back, amusement increasing.

'Bitch.'

'Jerk.' She said back, laughing quietly. I turned, and noticed the oddly relaxed looking Chief. Well, as relaxed as one can look in several tons of armor.

"Entering atmosphere." The pilot called over the comm. systems. A moment later the ship shook violently for about three seconds before the shaking stopped. "Prepare for drop in two."

Around me, the assembled soldiers began rechecking their gear, and I mirrored them. Checking my ammo and the like." Shit, we're taking fire!" The pilot said angrily, her voice hinting at her fear," Laser fire? What the hell?"

"Pilot, report! What's happening?" Sarah said, standing up and using the handrails to move towards the cockpit.

"Laser fire, ma'am. Very accurate, doing my best to dodge, but-Ugh!" The pilot grunted painfully as the ship pitched to the right, hard. "Shit, I'm hit. It's really bad. We're going down, brace."

I stood up, moving on instinct, and moved towards the cockpit myself. Pushing Sarah into her seat, I opened the door to the cockpit, looking in on the young woman and her dead copilot. Here helmet was scorched along the left side and her arm hung limply, badly burned and scarred. "What are you doing!? Get strapped in!"

I ignored her, grabbing the copilot's controls and struggling to right the dying craft, Cortana tried to help by instructing me as quick as she could on the controls. Quickly, she overrode the controls on my armor itself and steered it towards a stretch of beach east of the city we were sent to help.

'Save the pilot, Cortana!' I cried through our minds, the sound reverberating through our connection. As we neared the beach, she threw my body towards the women, covering her and shielding her from the impact.

The impact sent sand and rock flying through the cabin, my shields flaring as the debris struck me. After several seconds, we stopped moving and Cortana gave me back control of my body,' You know, I think they should've given us A.I.s overrides like that a long time ago.'

'Indeed.' I sent back, pulling myself away from the wounded woman as Sarah tried to smash through the destroyed door. The entire right half of the Pelican was damaged, the cockpit sheared to bits and the right wing completely gone, scattered along the beach.

Turning back, I tore the door to the passenger area away, allowing Sarah and the others into the cockpit. I turned back to the pilot, pulling out my bio-foam canister as I did. But the pilot had already died her burns and wounds too much for her body to bear.

I looked at her for who knows how long, remembering my lost squad mates. I kneeled down, checking over her wounds, trying to find a way to treat them. After a minute of this, Sarah reached down and grabbed my forearm. In response, I drew my magnum and leveled it with her head, which forced her back quickly. Chief moved towards me and I aimed at him as well, ignoring all the words Cortana was saying. He ignored the gun, moving towards the woman.

He reached down, lifting her up and carrying her out the back of the Pelican. "Zero, come with me. The rest of you, head to the end of the beach. Cortana, set a waypoint." He said calmly, as the rest of the team filed out and headed towards a small hill fifteen minutes away. I followed Chief away from the waypoint, towards a small spot of grass where ha laid the woman down, her hands folded across her chest and her helmet set on top of them.

"You were military. Lost your entire platoon, correct?" He said, pulling her tags off. I nodded slowly, remembering the attack." I understand how that feels, I lost my teams as well. Kelly, Linda, Fred… I lost so many people, friends. But we have to move on. We are soldiers, humanity's defense against any and all threats. She died for the mission. Honor that." He said handing me the tags. I looked at them, Felicia Terza. A new pilot. "Now let's go."

I nodded, slipping the tags into a compartment on my chest and following the aged super soldier. 'Zero? Are you alright?'

'No. But I'm fine for now. Thank the Chief for me.' I said back, drawing my MA5B as we neared the city and I could already hear gunfire going off in the distance. I grimaced and shouldered my rifle, preparing to follow Chief into the battle.


	11. Chapter 11

(A/N: To the Guest who reviewed, that is my goal. To make him an asymmetrical fighter. I probably won't have him in a permanent squad or even have permanent team members minus the Chief and perhaps Shepard later if you guys decide on that being how you want the story to go.

This update is solely a review response, I'll do these every ten chapters or so. It's my way of helping ideas circulate and giving myself ideas as well.

The Infinity carries eight standard frigates with it, so I'll be building UNSC and ME ships mostly Reko-Luna. Ciara will possibly come up later in the story and I just might tweak your idea to fit a little bit.

His voice box was damaged both in his background, which I gave, and by Ares changing him the way he did. Such drastic changes to physiology are bound to have side effects. That's where the immunity problem comes from. The Infinity crew won't have those issues because no changes were made to the crew so Ares could prevent most illness problems from surfacing.

I need to put a few ideas up however, just leave a review or message your answer:

What government should the Infinity make first contact with? The Alliance, Salarians, Turian Hierarchy, Asari Republics, Batarian Hegemony or should they make alliances and gather strength among the smaller, less important races like Hanar, Drell, Krogan, Volus, Yaahg, Quarians and Geth?

What role should the eventual alliance made take until the Reapers invade? Peace keepers or colonizing their own worlds? Ideas on that would be helpful. Thanks.

Should Zero take charge of situations and try and prevent things like the assault on Earth? Or should he let things move as they did before to preserve the timeline? Should Shepard die, or be saved by the Crucible being unnecessary?

How should he handle the Krogan-Turian relationships, and the Geth-Quarian as well?

And I need votes for pairings. Options are

Chief-Cortana

Chief-Shepard

Chief-Tali

Chief-Jack

Zero-Liara

Zero-Tali

Zero-Shepard

Zero-Kasumi

Any others are welcome. Weird or not, feel free to suggest anything. Weird or not, it may get an idea to form.

Also, if someone would like to beta-read, or even co-write with me, that would be absolutely wonderful. Thank you. I will have an actual update out hopefully today then Im going to wait a while and see what kind of help I can get. If none shows in a couple days, Ill continue on my own.


	12. Reunion:Conflict

The Chief and I rounded the top of a hill, spotting Crimson sitting a short distance away, looking at a relatively small hologram projection of a map of the city. They looked up at us as we approached and Sarah spoke up first," Welcome back. Care to explain what happened back there?"

"No." Cortana said quietly,' Are you going to be okay, Chris?'

'Eventually. Maybe.' Answered quietly, grabbing my MA5B and turning towards the city. Sarah shrugged, standing up and drawing her two magnums and nodding towards the other Spartan IVs.

"We're headed to an Alliance outpost near the edge of the city. If what Zero here says is true, we need to make a good impression on them." She said snidely," Shock and awe, Spartans, shock and awe!"

We moved quickly, headed North-East, straight towards the fighting. Five minutes later, we came into sight range of the fighting. The Alliance had already lost two-thirds of the city, as evidenced by the battle line. From atop the hill, we could see the main combat areas, which I could only pick up because of the instincts I had been gifted by Ares. But I also picked out a dozen spots in the city where forces were still engaging, meaning Alliance resistance.

Cortana and I had the same thought, and she voiced our decision." There are several pockets of resistance in the city. Locating them and rescuing them would certainly earn us some good will. Think you guys can help hold that line while we pull them out?" She said, as I swiveled my head to look at the multiple waypoints she had set up.

"Good idea, actually. Go ahead and save them, and remember. Shock and awe. Impress them." Sarah said after several seconds. I nodded, and proceeded to jog towards the first objective, twenty meters away, at the edge of the city. Using my thruster packs, I scaled to the top of a nearby building and proceeded towards the location by leaping from building to building. Five minutes later, I was crouched behind a ledge on the roof of a building, watching the firefight between three Alliance marines and a pair of squads of Bloodpack, including two Krogan. 'Cortana, hack into that squad's communications. Get me a line.'

'On it.' She said, as I surveyed the battlefield. The marines were penned into a police station, but there didn't seem to be any officers with them. The Bloodpack were across the lot from them, engaging with any ranged weapons they had available. Around the lot were mostly apartments, some damaged some not. The apartments were on the east, south and north sides, with the west being what looked like more parking lot. The Bloodpack were set up between some of the apartment buildings, using the alleys to move around safely. 'Com line established.'

"Who the hell is on my net?" A gruff male voice said immediately.

"This is Spartan Zero. I am near your position and ready to assist." Cortana answered back, repeating my words verbatim. "I am on a rooftop, ten meters away from your position."

"What the hell is a Spartan? Agh, never mind! I've got wounded marines and civilians here, can you eliminate the enemy squads?" He asked, the sounds of gunfire echoing in the radio.

"Understood." I said, drawing my magnum and pulling a frag out. Cortana calculated the angle, and I threw the grenade towards the furthest group of five Vorcha, as well as firing a round into one of the closer Vorcha's skull. The grenade's explosion sheared apart the Vorcha before they could manage to move away, and my shot dropped the other, nearer Vorcha cleanly. After that, I dropped to my hands and knees, crawling to the back end of the roof before dropping to the lower one on the other side of a small alley.

"They are panicking, I'll order my men to move out and engage." The soldier on the com line said quickly.

"No. I'll handle this. Save your men for helping the civilians and your allies in the city. There are still a dozen or so other squads like yours scattered around the city." Cortana said as I drew my MA5B and approached the next roof. I leapt up to the ledge, grabbing the end of the roof, the cement crumbling under my weight. I pulled myself up quickly, moving to the next one and replicating the action.

"You sure? There are Krogan out there too. Keep this up and they will go fuckin' berserk." He asked unsurely.

"I'm counting on it, actually." She answered as I approached the ledge quietly. I peeked over the ledge, checking the locations of the enemy squad. I smiled, they were meeting up behind a small cement fence. I primed my last grenade and dropped it into the middle of the group and watched as all but one of the Vorcha scattered, the last having been grabbed by the Krogan and tossed onto the grenade, blocking most of the blast.

He gestured at my location, and the enemy squad started firing on my spot on the wall. I tossed my last two grenades towards the red dots on my radar, and sprinted to the other end of the wall. Then I dropped twenty feet or so, rolling to lessen the impact, and drew my shotgun before proceeding up the alley towards the lot. There was a Vorcha standing in my way, some grenades attached to a bandoleer around his chest. Setting my shotgun aside, I crept forward drawing my knife as I did so, before I grabbed his skull, drawing him back and onto my knife as I dragged him back. Checking is corpse, I smiled as I pulled a mine out of the bandoleer. Grinning wickedly, I pulled the dead creature to the entrance of the alley where he had been standing guard and set the mine above his head. Lastly, I picked up a small rock and leaned around the corner. Several Vorcha were shooting at the police station several meters from where the Krogan had been standing. I threw the rock at them before retreating quickly around the corner. A moment later, several red blips popped up on my radar before a blast sounded a second later and they disappeared from my motion tracker.

I smiled once more and moved on to the next idea, I leapt atop the roof using my thrusters. 'Is this Ares' little gifts kicking in or just you?'

'Ares gifts are helping, but their my ideas.' I answered, drawing my MA5B.

I stood up, in full view of the remaining seven Vorcha and the two Krogan, with my rifle resting on my hip pointing into the sky," Are you even trying at this point? It's getting kind of boring."

"Who the hell are you?" The lead Krogan said, holding up a hand to order his troops to hold their fire.

"I am Spartan Commando Zero." Cortana said for me as I shifted my gun into both hands.

"Spartan? Well I don't know what that is, but you're a damn fine warrior." He said while I looked down at him. He wore armor painted red with the white skull, like his compatriot, but his head plate bore three gashes going across it.

"Thank you, now are you going to give in or should I keep killing your men?" I asked gesturing at the piles of debris where my grenades had been at work. "Of course I guess your friend there doesn't care about his troops, seeing as he threw one on a grenade earlier."

"He is foolish. And reckless." The Krogan answered shaking his head," But I can't give up. That isn't a warrior's way."

"I can respect that." I said nodding," The ancient Spartans had a saying. 'Come back with your shield, or on it.' I believe that is applicable here as well."

"It is a good saying." The Krogan said with a grim smile, nodding.

"Well. Let's get to it then." I said rolling my shoulders as I looked around. A car had rolled over nearby, and a well-placed grenade would detonate it and kill any near it."

"Indeed." The Krogan grunted, raising his rifle," And Zero? Die well, when the time comes."

With that he fired his Crusader, the slug missing by a hair as I spun on my heel. I lifted my rifle coming out of it, and fired three bursts into several of the Vorcha as they moved for cover. Afterwards, I knelt behind the low cover before leaning out and throwing one of my three grenades towards some cover the Krogan and a few Vorcha were headed towards, the blast accomplished little more than sending the enemies towards the car I had picked out rather than the one I couldn't detonate. Smirking as they slid into the chosen position, I threw the small grenade I had found to it as they all knelt behind their cover. The explosion sent the car, and the corpses, sky high. The Krogan landed several feet away, rolling onto his back and crawling towards another car. I fired one burst, nailing him right in the skull and sending him sprawling.

Fire from the police station downed the other two remaining Vorcha who foolishly took cover in an area exposed to the station. The other Krogan and I exchanged fire for several more minutes before I managed to get a burst into his shoulder which staggered him just long enough for a second one in his head.

"You should be okay now. I'll send anyone I pull out your way." Cortana said to the man on the com line.

"Got it. I'll send a few guys out to secure the Bloodpack's arms and ammunition." He said," And I'm Sergeant Wilson by the way."

"Good luck, Sergeant." I said through Cortana before moving towards the next way point. The mission continued much like that though squad sizes and such varied on both the side I saved and the one I destroyed. I killed a countless number of enemies and saved at least two-hundred soldiers and twice that number in civilians. The process took me around an hour and a half before all the way points Cortana had set for me. Then Sarah contacted me, and the mission went to shit.

"Zero, we're pinned. Come to our waypoint. And be quick about it, we've already lost one Spartan team. Don't let me lose Crimson too." She said quickly, the sound of gunfire echoing in the background.

"Majestic?" I asked quickly, before even Cortana knew what I was about to say.

"Gone. Wiped out by a Brogan I think is what they're called with a massive hammer. Tore through them like tissue paper." She said," Tore right through them, god damn it!"

"Be calm. I'm en route. If he is still there, or near there, put a waypoint there. I'll eliminate him myself." I said, moving off towards the way point at a sprint.

Ten minutes later, and I heard the gun fire. Another five, and I were kneeling on a roof surveying the main battle-line. If I could break it, Pelicans could drop more marines and Spartans. Beside me lay a dead Marine with a Viper sniper rifle. I took his tags, Henry Jameson, a Private with the 15th infantry division, and picked up his rifle, looking for thinner points in the line. I had twenty-two shots.

I knelt, using the small wall to rest the rifle on, and aimed at a Krogan leading a pair of squads against several marines. I waited until he stood up and fired twice, the first shot shattered his shields and spun him around where the second round tore through his skull. He toppled and the Vorcha turned to him startled, and I killed four of them with the remaining rounds. Moving on, I found another vantage point, able to see a major confrontation. I knelt again, rifle pressed against my shoulder, and looked for the best targets.

BANG- A Krogan fell as he knelt for cover after his shields dropped.

BANG-Several Vorcha die as a well-placed shot detonates a grenade in it's bandoleer.

BANG-Another Krogan dies my round tears through his leg, sending him down on his knees and allowing several marines to kill him with concentrated fire.

BANG- I shoot a dead Vorcha's grenades, sending a wall crashing down atop several other Vorcha and a Krogan.

BANG-I kill a Krogan holding a young woman by the throat, allowing her to drop safely and get to cover behind an enemy squad, where she set up a cross fire with the remnants of her squad.

BANG- I empty my gun as a Krogan topples off a roof, landing amid several other Bloodpack members.

I reload as I move up, looking at the Marines who were retaking some of the ground they had lost earlier that day. Finally, after keeping like that for some time, I spotted the Krogan who had slaughtered Majestic so easily.

I smirked grimly, drawing my shotgun before leaping from the building straight down. And straight to the Krogan warlord.

I landed, using the thrusters to soften the blow coupled with a roll, and brought my fist up through a Vorcha's skull and throwing the corpse at another, sending them both into a wall with a crunch. I turned just in time to catch a Krogan mid charge and slid back several inches before bring my knee up into his gut and then my elbow into the back of his neck. I turned again, spinning my shotgun in my hand to bash the Krogan behind me in the face with it as it spun before the buckshot straight into his face.

His bodyguards dead the warlord went berserk, swinging his hammer around his back at me. I took the blow, dropping my shotgun and crossing my arms, and was knocked into the air and sent several feet away where I sank to my knees. ' That actually hurt a good bit.'

I looked up at him as he smirked and drew my rifle. We circled for a moment, eying each other before I raised my rifle and fired. Several rounds bounced off his shields before he closed, swinging the hammer up and forcing me to sidestep, pulling my rifle to my chest, before he backhanded me, crushing my rifle under the force. I lashed out with my leg, kicking him in the stomach before I leapt and followed it up with a spinning kick that knocked him to his knees. I drew my magnum, blasting him in the chest three times. He sank to his knees, looking up at me as I leveled my magnum at him.

"You are a fine warrior, boy." He said, smiling in spite of his imminent death.

"You too." I said, firing my magnum twice and ending his life. I contacted Sarah right after," He's down. Moving to your position."


End file.
